39 Chinese, Taiwanese to be deported from Bali

The deportation of 39 Chinese and Taiwanese citizens arrested for Internet crimes in Bali earlier this month would be carried out in stages, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly said on Friday.

He added that they would be deported in coordination with the Chinese police.

"It demonstrates our cooperation with China and other countries in countering cybercrime. The Chinese police have sent the names of the suspects, and our immigration officers immediately detected and arrested them with the cooperation of the police," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Yasonna also asked immigration officials to increase security following the government's plan to waive visas for 30 countries.

Concerns have risen from cases of foreign tourists misusing their tourist visas to commit crimes, as happened with the recent arrest of 39 tourists from China and Taiwan in Sanur, Bali, last week.

"We have to be more cautious as we will open the gate for tourists to come to Indonesia," Yasonna said in Denpasar.

The government revealed in March its plan to waive visa requirement for 30 countries, innitially planned to take effect in April, to boost the country's foreign exchange income from the tourism industry, despite officials' concerns on legal issues that may delay its implementation.

The head of the Denpasar Immigration office, Bambang Wisnu, stated that his office would deport five of the arrested men on Friday evening, 10 on Saturday and the remaining 24 Sunday.

"During the deportation, they will be under the custody of the Chinese police," he explained.